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- Utah's higher elevations, especially the Wasatch Mountains, have a high chance of snow.
- The Wasatch Front expects rain and wind, with temperatures in the 40s-50s.
- A low-pressure system may bring additional snow to Utah's mountains by Christmas.
SALT LAKE CITY — Christmas is coming next week, and many in Utah and around the U.S. are wondering if they will experience a white Christmas.
A "white Christmas" is defined by meteorologists as having at least 1 inch of snow on the ground on Christmas morning.
"It's snowcover, not falling snow, that counts," according to the Weather Channel.
On average, around 38% of the contiguous 48 states have at least an inch of snow on the ground on Christmas, according to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Here's a look at which areas are most likely to have a white Christmas this year.
What areas in the West will have a white Christmas?
According to USA Today, a white Christmas is almost guaranteed for parts of the central and northern Rockies.
The higher-elevation areas of Wyoming and Montana, and of Utah and Colorado, have a high chance of snow on Christmas morning. Places just outside the mountains have a 40-75% chance of having snow on the ground, according to AccuWeather.
Other Western mountainous areas in the Cascades and Sierra Nevada ranges also have a high chance of Christmas snow.
Many of these areas have had a depleted snowpack so far this winter, but Christmas will bring more snow for those on the ski slopes, per The Weather Channel.
What will Christmas look like for the rest of the country?
Moving to the eastern side of the country, areas downwind of the Great Lakes and near the Canadian border are also likely to have a white Christmas.
"Typical lake-effect snowbelts, places that often get frequent snow bands this time of year, should be high on the list for snow on the ground Christmas morning," per AccuWeather.
Higher elevations of the Appalachians, especially in New England, have a good chance of Christmas snow.
Some areas through the Midwest, Northeast and mid-Atlantic that have been experiencing frigid cold and heavy snow this winter likely won't have a white Christmas. This is because of a warmup that will build across the Plains in the week before Christmas and move eastward leading up to the holiday. This warmup will likely melt away the blankets of snow already received.
According to AccuWeather, there is a winter storm that could possibly move through the central and eastern U.S., bringing more hope of a white Christmas in those areas.
This storm could bring a late surge for some snow, but the storm is not certain and its projected track could shift.
What will Utah's weather look like leading up to Christmas?
Over the next week, the Wasatch Front is still expected to see highs in the 50s with lows in the 40s, according to KSL.
A low-pressure system moving in from the Pacific Coast on Wednesday is expected to bring snow to the higher-elevation areas in the mountains along the Wasatch Front and northern Utah.
Scattered rain showers are possible across the Wasatch Front later on Wednesday, per KSL. On Thursday, there is additional mountain snow and valley rain projected.
Strong winds are also expected along the Wasatch Front on Wednesday and into the rest of the week.
None of these storms is expected to be massive, but the Wasatch Mountains will potentially receive four to eight inches by the end of Thursday. It's possible that some of the Wasatch Back could receive snow, but rain is more likely outside of the mountains.
According to KSL, over the weekend, another round of valley rain and mountain snow is forecast.
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Caitlin Keith
